Ultimate Guide to Using Emojis in Email Marketing

Some days, it seems as though emojis have overtaken our communication efforts. They’re in texts and emails, and you can find a figure for nearly every activity, person, or emotion. Birthday cakes? Check. Skiing? Of course? Skyscrapers, lawns, every imaginable face possible—absolutely.

Most people tend to think of emojis as just personal communication, but emojis are actually part of a well-thought-out marketing strategy. Take subject lines: Good marketers have taken advantage of them for a long time. Of course, there are emojis that work better than others when it comes to affecting open rate.

As a successful marketer, it’s important to understand the difference between emoticons and emojis. Emoticons were the originator of emojis—think of it like the old-fashioned keyboard combinations that you used to convey emotions. Through the infographic below we are going to take a look at the best practices when using emojis within your email marketing campaigns.

Ultimate Guide to Using Emojis in Email Marketing Infographic Summary

Emojis were the next evolution of emoticons. They’re actual symbols that are universal no matter what platform you use. Right now, there are well over a thousand emojis available. There are, of course, slight differences from system to system on particular emojis.

When it comes to marketing and using emojis, what’s most important is not to throw them into use casually. As much as you think about subject lines and mailers, you should think about the use of emojis. Do they have something to do with what you’re trying to convey? Do they match the tone? Will your audience get it? Carefully consider every angle and make sure the emoji works before using it.

It’s also vital to test any marketing, including ones with emojis, on a variety of platforms, programs, and devices. Don’t trust just one thing or one user. Dig up problems before the communication ever leaves your office. If not, you may have some unwelcome and unexpected surprises.

As with all marketing, using emojis needs to get people talking—in a positive way—about your brand and your product or service. If one person thinks about it negatively, more people will. You want to generate excitement, which leads to sales. You want to create something memorable that’s creative but isn’t confusing. If you lose your readers with a subject line or a confusing effort, thanks to emojis, you’ll have lost a valuable opportunity.

In order to keep these important elements of the successful use of emojis top of mind in your company’s marketing, follow the steps and insights in this graphic. They offer a simple explanation of what’s at stake and what you need to think about before you use emojis in marketing.